Two new additions to the popular Verbena Lanai series, ‘Twister Red’ and ‘Twister Purple’ feature unique flower patterns that add excitement and value to grower and retail offerings. Large flowers bloom continuously throughout the season and are ideal for hanging baskets, mixed and monoculture containers.

These two new cultivars join ‘Candy Cane,’ ‘Vintage Rose’ and ‘Twister Pink’ as Lanai Premium Selections. This subset of the award-winning Lanai series includes innovative, never-before-seen colors and patterns that will differentiate any retail program.

All Lanai varieties offer grower-friendly production with an easy-to-control and uniform mounded-trailing habit. These vigorous plants quickly fill planters and baskets for faster greenhouse turns and impressive retail displays. They are free-flowering and provide lavish blooms and outstanding color coverage for stunning displays all season.

AmericanHort is actively assisting affected plant breeders, distributors, growers, and retailers as the genetically modified petunia regulatory response continues. Since the last update, there have been several changes to the list of petunias confirmed or suspected of being genetically engineered and therefore unauthorized to be imported or sold. Also, the list of recognized laboratories for petunia variety confirmation testing has expanded. Most importantly, petunia varieties on the USDA-APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) list require an APHIS Form 2000 for importation. APHIS also began requiring that any Petunia spp. Shipments, not including regulated GE varieties, must be accompanied by a list of variety names. This resulted in some inspection delays at the USDA-APHIS plant inspection station in Atlanta over the past two weeks. In response, AmericanHort has negotiated a more flexible approach with APHIS, and new guidance has just been posted for importing Petunia plants, cuttings, or seed. The new guidance allows […]

On May 2, 2017, USDA-APHIS was informed that an orange petunia variety was potentially genetically engineered and had been imported and moved interstate without required authorization by APHIS. This led to testing of numerous petunia varieties, which confirmed this particular variety and several others are genetically engineered, and meet the regulatory definition of a regulated article under APHIS regulations. APHIS continues to work with the industry to ensure unauthorized GE petunias are not distributed in the United States.

AmericanHort’s key role interfacing with the USDA on the recall of genetically modified petunias has helped the horticulture industry rapidly address the problem. Senior Vice President Craig Regelbrugge talks about recent updates, the impact on the industry, and where it goes from here.

With the abundance of new introductions for the 2018 retail season, we’ve made it easier for you to sift through them by separating out the vegetative petunias from the Northern sites, which includes selections from Westhoff Flowers, Sakata Ornamentals, Danziger, Proven Winners, and Syngenta flowers.

Public interest in protecting bees and other pollinators has initiated a new market for flowers that are good food plants for pollinators. Here's a list of annuals Michigan State University Extension recommends that are attractive to bees and other pollinators.

Trends with plants come and go, but color always sells. These spring crops for 2017 offer color choices ranging from bold and vibrant hues to understated, softer tones, and they’re versatile enough to be used in baskets, containers, beds, and borders.

Plants that ensure consumer success with disease resistance bred into their genetics, and ease of use in a variety of conditions, are heroes for gardeners, especially beginners, and they should be celebrated and supported to promote gardening success and interest. These are the messages the award-winning designer, gardening, and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith wants the horticulture industry to know, with the recent announcement of his expanded partnership with Sakata Seed. In an exclusive interview with Greenhouse Grower, P. Allen Smith describes his expanded partnership with Sakata Seed to promote SunPatiens and why the now 10-year-old series helps both novice and expert gardeners to be successful. Smith also collaborates with Sakata to promote the HomeGrown Collection of vegetables. SunPatiens Set Consumers Up For Success, Smith Says As a plantsman first, Smith has extensively trialed SunPatiens in his gardens at Moss Mountain Farm in Little Rock, AR, and says he is […]

Spring is finally here, and you can draw inspiration from the hundreds of new varieties you’ll see at California Spring Trials (CAST) 2016. The annual exodus to the West Coast is coming up, but before you hit the trail, check out the slideshow to see some of the new annuals making their debut to the trade this spring. Because so many annuals are revealed at CAST, we had to build two slideshows — one for the Northern Region and one for the Central Region. Last week’s focus was on the Northern Region, but this week we’re highlighting annuals that will be showcased in the Central Region. We asked breeders to share with us pictures and information on some of the great new annuals introductions they will debut at CAST 2016. They didn’t let you down. These new annuals introductions have all the great characteristics you’ve come to rely on from breeders — excellent branching, […]

California Spring Trials (CAST) is coming up, but before you hit the trail, here’s your chance for a glimpse at the new annuals that will be hitting the market in 2017. We asked breeders to share with us pictures and information on some of the great new annuals introductions they will debut at CAST 2016. They didn’t let you down. These new annuals introductions have all the great characteristics you’ve come to rely on from breeders — excellent branching, good uniformity, flower power, and most important, long-lasting garden performance. Check out the slideshow to see some of the new annuals making their debut to the trade this spring. And because so many annuals are revealed at CAST, we had to build two slideshows – one for the Northern Region and one for the Central Region. This week we’ll focus on the Northern Region, but stay tuned for the Central Region […]

Following good, methodical growing practices from start to finish will produce a pansy crop that is not only green and healthy, but well-toned and able to withstand the potential extreme temperature and weather conditions of spring bedding crops.